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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24883537">Pandora's Actor: Face of a new Hero</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razord/pseuds/Razord'>Razord</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Overlord - Maruyama Kugane &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:27:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24883537</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razord/pseuds/Razord</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When hope seems beyond reach for the citizens of E-Rantel freshly conquered by devilishly forces a new ray shines through the darkness: Pandora's Actor! In the guise of the adventurer Momon he will have to convince the terrorized population that living near nightmares is safe! But other forces might make that job harder than expected... Non-canon side story that ties ch.9 &amp; ch.10</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Preface</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Deep in the 10th floor of the underground tomb of Nazarick one individual was facing both a mirror and a great crisis.</p><p>With a large gesture of his hand the doppelganger Pandora's Actor moved his mantle while disguised as his creator's adventurer double, Momon, while inspecting if there were any flaws.</p><p>The mantle was created by magic through the spell [Create Greater Item] so there wasn't really a need to check such imperfections, however he was particularly nervous as that day he began a crucial mission: his glorious creator Ainz Ooal Gown had conquered the human city of E-Rantel the day before, so he had to walk the streets and reassure the denizens that their life was not in peril and convince them to stay inside the city.</p><p>Granted, he had already done multiple tasks outside of the confines of the domains blessed by the 41 Supreme Beings, however they were all ordinary duties like showing his presence in a place to allow his creator freedom to act somewhere else.</p><p>This was the first time he had a chance to prove his worth to Momonga-sama no, to Ainz-sama, so he could not help but wanting to make sure everything was perfect.</p><p>Once he felt satisfied by his appearance the doppelganger turned towards the maid that was cleaning next to him and in a flutter of cape theatrically inquired:</p><p>"Fair Maiden-dono, do I sufficiently look similar to Ainz-sama?".</p><p>The girl stopped working to look at Pandora's Actor and could not help but feel displeased: she felt that he was trying hard to imitate the regal impression that the Supreme One emanated naturally with each of his movements, ending up looking gaudy.</p><p>She also thought that a cheap impersonation of the one and only Supreme Being was blasphemy, however she managed to stay composed enough to squeeze a dutiful "I think that armor looks fine on you" response accompanied with a stiff smile.</p><p>That was all she could answer without compromising either her devotion to her god or the business relationship with a colleague much higher in rank than her.</p><p>Thankfully that was enough for the doppelganger who, satisfied with the reply and his preparations raised his right hand theatrically towards the sky.</p><p>" [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown], activaaaate!".</p><p>Triggered by his invocation the magical ring on his index teleported Pandora's Actor outside of the 10th Floor onto the Mausoleum at the surface, where he met a beautiful girl with porcelain skin, silky smooth black hair kept in a ponytail and an adventurer's dress.</p><p>"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, my trusty companion Nabe" the warrior apologized while bowing his whole body.</p><p>The girl's already sharp look became even narrower, with the right eye twitching when she heard the word "companion" as she felt she was compared to a pet like the giant rodent Hamsuke who served as their usual ride.</p><p>As a matter of fact she was tense as well because that was the first big mission she had to do outside without the reassuring presence of her master, so she had already prepared Hamsuke to travel to E-Rantel long before the doppelganger arrived.</p><p>They could have teleported immediately inside the city, however it was important to reduce suspicion they were not the Sorcerer King's clones by showing the citizens their hero physically walking through the gates rather than popping magically out of a building's door.</p><p>"Momon-san, the mount has been readied" she proclaimed while refusing to name the sentient rodent near her.</p><p>Oddly she had no trouble pronouncing Ainz's disguise name correctly when she was referring to another person.</p><p>"Excellent, then let us make haste!". Full of confidence and determination, the trio then started marching towards destiny.</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.</p><p>In the outskirts of the Great Forest of Tob one hobgoblin kneeled to recollect his knives from an adventurer's corpse, then gestured towards his horde to follow him.</p><p>He had hoped to find some interesting valuables among the group of humans he saw while they were marching, but in the end they possessed nothing worthy.</p><p>Still, they were 5 disgusting meatbags in less that were roaming that earth so attacking them was not wasted time.</p><p>Reassured by that thought Zaz continued his travel towards his destination: Cairne Village.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The ever changing visage of hardships</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pandora's Actor could not help but thinking "This is going to be harder than I thought" when he entered the city along with his team.</p><p>There was no human being in any direction he looked, it was telling of how bad the situation was if the only signs of life were from the undead patrolling the streets.</p><p>Despite the act of him repelling the Sorcerer King the population was still waiting holed in their homes to see how the situation would unfold.</p><p>For all he knew they might have their belongings packed up near the door, ready to run with them as soon as the situation got any worse.</p><p>As their protector Momon had to take action to reassure them, so the knight dropped off Hamsuke and started walking.</p><p>Once he reached a part of the city where he could be seen by multiple houses he raised his right finger towards the sky, as if he wanted to reach the heavens themselves with his speech.</p><p>"Brave population of E-Rantel, I am going to repeat this question two times: why are you hiding inside your homes?" he asked, while slowly circling around himself and looking at the windows to make sure to gather the attention of as many people as he could.</p><p>By making eye contact with any individual that was hiding, even if only for a moment, he could convey the impression that the speech was directed to them in particular, thus greatly increasing the feeling of familiarity and involvement they felt.</p><p>"When I first entered this city, I was surprised: I have traveled far and wide, yet I never saw such an outstanding community.</p><p>The will to continue living that I could feel from each and every one of you was the treasure that I wanted to protect by staying in this town.</p><p>Today I witnessed the proof that I was not wrong in my decision, because you faced the terror that enveloped many others head-on and remained here instead of fleeing away!"</p><p>Of course Pandora's Actor knew the reason the people around him were still in the city was because they could not afford to leave their homes to go living as beggars in a neighbouring town, however by putting the situation in a different light he could give a higher meaning to their decision and turn an act of indolence into something to be proud of.</p><p>After making another short pause to give more emphasis he spread his arms as if wanting to embrace the whole town in his speech while he delivered the finisher to his rally.</p><p>"For this reason I only have one more question to ask to such proud and strong people as yourselves that saw the Sorcerer King from up close and lived to tell the tale: why are you hiding inside your homes?"</p><p>Inspired by the hero one man dared to peek outside of the door of his home, then another one, soon after followed by another until all the houses reached by Pandora's Actor words started animating with signs of life.</p><p>Yet there was still some reluctance to come out of the safety of their shells, so the doppelganger felt that another push was needed to win this final reluctance, so he decided to use a trump card he had set up before reaching the city.</p><p>He pointed his arm towards the first man that glanced towards him, while looking to the side with the other hand holding his head dramatically.</p><p>"Brave gentleman, I can see in your worried look that you have noticed a grave problem: while I can protect anyone in my surroundings, what would happen to someone outside of my range? That is however a non-issue!" the doppelganger proclaimed while suddenly turning his head towards the man and closing the open hand into a single finger pointed straight towards the doubts in the peasant's mind.</p><p>"That is because during one of my travels into foreign lands where water flows upwards and coconuts preyed on monkeys I found a very unique item.</p><p>Behold!"</p><p>With a single fluid movement the hero fluttered his mantle and put his hands on his hips, to emphasize the presence of a belt.</p><p>"This is the ultra-rare Utility Belt! It has many uses, among which there is the ability to hear whenever my name is pronounced by someone in peril.</p><p>So as you can see, my effective range of action is the whole city. As long as I am here no one has to fear anything from the forces of evil!"</p><p>That belt was just a cosmetic item with no particular ability that he piqued up that morning, however knowing that their hero could reach them at any moment was a very powerful tranquilizer effect.</p><p>Indeed, the people around Pandora's Actor started hesitantly getting out of their homes, then once they saw that the undead patrolling the area did not attack them went towards 'Momon' to give their thanks to him.</p><p>He however dismissed the adoring crowd that was gathering around him "What I did was nothing special. I believe that the true heroes are all of you who mustered enough strength to face the unknown.</p><p>I have a favour to ask of you brave citizens: I am going to patrol the streets to make sure they remain safe, so I need help to spread the courage to the rest of the city, so that the roads are restored with life. Can I count on your help?"</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-<br/>After a gruesome couple of days of helping everyone he could find Pandora's Actor could at last see E-Rantel slowly waking up from the paralysis induced by terror, however he still noticed that people acted more lively when he was around, while they tended to retreat once he walked away.</p><p>They most likely were not yet convinced of his ability to protect them at all times.</p><p>However, he had already predicted it and was just waiting for the right chance to set his next plan into motion.</p><p>As if his thoughts were a trigger for an event, he heard someone calling his name in the other side of the city.</p><p>"Pandora's Actor-sama, your presence is required here".</p><p>This was not the result of some hidden ability of the Utility Belt however, but rather a clever use of a much simpler strategy.</p><p>As the spell [Perfect Warrior] prevented him from using most kinds of magic while it was active, he was pondering before leaving Nazarick how to make sure he could still listen to people's pleas when he had a revelation: he could just use the huge amount of subordinates spread everywhere in the city as an effective information network to share to him via [Message].</p><p>He then came up with the Utility Belt idea as a cover up when he remembered about his creator Ainz-sama's similar camouflage of the battle with Shalltear through a sealing crystal.</p><p>The doppelganger swiftly excused himself from an old lady he was helping to cross the road by lifting her like a sack of potatoes and landing on the other side with a somersault, dropped her with the utmost care then jumped off to the distance towards the disturbance detected by his subordinate.</p><p>Once he landed he found a dozen kids whose collective age was lower than Pandora's Actor level looking at him as if he was some kind of living wonder.</p><p>He immediately understood the situation: those youngsters must have heard from their parents about Momon's claim to hear every cry of help and thought it would have been fun to try calling him for fun.</p><p>This was actually a golden chance for him, so the great hero quickly formulated a plan.</p><p>He began by using his towering height (when compared to the children who looked like bonsais near a mighty oak) to look at them from above to inspire reverence and make sure they would take his words seriously.</p><p>"I have heard my name being called here" he proclaimed with a heroic voice while surveilling the surroundings with a majestic flair.</p><p>He then squatted to make his eyes reach the same line of field of the paralyzed kids. "Were you the ones who summoned me?"</p><p>Despite using a technique to make children feel more at ease by dropping on their level the sheer pressure from his heroic looks was still too much for them to do anything other than standing with the mouth as wide opened as their eyes, so the doppelganger put a hand on the shoulder of the nearest kid as a show of confidence.</p><p>"Have no fear, young citizen, for I am not angry at your actions. In fact, I am very impressed by your courage: while all the other citizens have taken for granted my words you and your friends have dared to question them to find the truth.</p><p>This audacity makes you all look like proud cubs!"</p><p>When the kids saw that the authoritarian figure in front of them was not offended by them and was instead praised by their actions their looks changed from stupefied to awed.</p><p>Noticing the change in his audience Pandora's Actor stood up, as if he wanted to make his words travel further through the kinetic movement.</p><p>"Grow up into courageous lions that have no fear to express yourselves and to question your convictions!"</p><p>Pandora's Actor spent a few hours then playing with the kids, but he did not feel like he wasted time: those childrens would talk with their parents about their adventure, which will soon spread the information that Momon the hero could effectively reach everyone in town in a short time.</p><p>He also felt that the younger humans were somewhat similar to doppelgangers as they had the potential to shape themselves into very different adults depending on their experiences, so he hoped to have put another stone in both Nazarick and those kids' roads to greatness.</p><p>The future looked brighter to him after meeting those little humans.</p><p>.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.</p><p>While traveling down the road that linked E-Rantel to Cairne Village the adventurer Moe Pistachio had a sudden feeling of being watched.</p><p>He and his team had been paid to protect a rich blacksmith named Smith and his wife while they run away from the dangers of the terrifying city of the dead.</p><p>The voyage has been uneventful for the first day, however despite the lack of any sign of danger Pistachio's honed senses thanks to his vocation as a ranger gave him no doubts: they were not alone in that area.</p><p>He quickly ordered the rest of the carriage to stop, then jumped off it, ready to fight.</p><p>As the tension grew he could not help but thinking the situation was spicing up, until the enemy showed their faces: from the Great Forest of Tob near the road a dozen of ogres with thrice the amount of goblins surrounding them emerged from their hiding spots between the trees.</p><p>At that sight the adventurer team could not help but smile in a condescending manner towards the ragtag group as they left their hiding spots so thoughtlessly, however they then got more serious when they realized that many of those monsters had magical equipment.</p><p>Still, despite that unexpected factor they were still confident that as a mithril ranked team a bunch of goblins were no threat to them.</p><p>They could easily let their paladin and warrior grab the attention of the enemies while Pistachio and the rest of his team sniped the foes one by one. Moe ordered his group to get into position as the monsters started moving towards them…</p><p>Then watched in disbelief as two of his teammates near him were struck by knives.</p><p>He could not see what the origin of those weapons was despite having his eyes fixed on the enemies and his senses sharpened to the limit by the thrill of the impending fight.</p><p>As his brain was desperately trying to find an explanation for this phenomena a second volley of knives reached him.</p><p>Once the rearguard was dealt with, Zaz's group had an easy way to focus on the remaining adventurers and distract them long enough for the hobgoblin to leisurely wait for the perfect chance to strike them down like the rest of their team.</p><p>After the fight was over the goblin leader focused on retrieving his weapons scattered around, then checked on the fallen bodies.</p><p>Every being could instinctively know whether one object was more suited for a task than the other, however the fight with multiple adventurer teams and their magical equipments elevated this basic sense widely present into a rudimental form of [Appraise Item].</p><p>It was not enough to recognize what they could do, but it still allowed Zaz to understand between two necklaces which was imbued with more power.</p><p>He used that sense to inspect the armament in front of him.</p><p>A ring held by the ranger in particular caught his interest so he wore it, while he selected a few more equips to swap with the ones currently worn by his more trusted subordinates.</p><p>He could just have taken everything, however seeing a bunch of corpses robbed would alert the neighbouring human settlements, who might think that groups of bandits roamed the streets and thus heighten their patrols and security.</p><p>He aimed to keep a lower profile until he had accumulated enough power and influence to come out of the shadows and openly challenge the surrounding civilizations.</p><p>As he was imagining his future he heard a female scream.</p><p>He turned his head and saw that his subordinates were holding a woman they found inside the carriage hostage, which made him furious.</p><p>"What are you doing with that vile creature? Kill her immediately!"</p><p>One of the ogres however stood his ground and uttered:"No, woman belong to us! She prize for battle! We..."</p><p>The monster's prattle was cut short by a dagger who hit it in the guts.</p><p>The attack did not kill the ogre though, so despite the pain its face contorted in a triumphant smile.</p><p>The monster raised its club to strike down the enemy that wanted to deny its prey, when another knife reached it in the arm.</p><p>Inexplicably this strike hit it so hard it was thrown a couple of feet away where it dropped dead like a puppet whose strings had been cut.</p><p>Once he finished his rebel Zaz executed the woman with another attack, then gave an ultimatum to his subordinates:</p><p>"Either follow me, or you will follow him!" he proclaimed while pointing with a blade the fallen ogre.</p><p>The hobgoblin was disappointed by the lack of obedience in his underlings and their lack of concern for tainting themselves with human contact, however it was a displeasure he could tolerate for now, as he would soon reach Cairne Village and realize his goal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The persuasor with a thousand faces</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thanks to Pandora's Actor efforts the city of E-Rantel was slowly returning to life after the annexation to Nazarick, however that was only the beginning.</p><p>He knew that his protection alone was not enough to placate the citizen's worries, so he proclaimed that he would dedicate a few hours every day to meet and listen to the townfolk's opinions one person at a time.</p><p>The doppelganger was immediately submerged by requests, so he let his teammate Narberal handle them.</p><p>He did not know exactly what she did, but the chaotic amount was soon reduced to an orderly schedule.</p><p>As it was the time for the first encounter he entered the carriage prepared as the 'environment safe from the Sorcerer King's eavesdroppers'.</p><p>The interior was big and comfortable enough for two people to freely move around, while being structured with arched angles of the ceiling in order to give a sense of intimacy, as if the words spoken would bounce and remain trapped inside of it.</p><p>A little later a strongly built man opened the door on the other side and went to sit in front of Pandora's Actor, who motioned with a hand for the driver to move the vehicle.</p><p>The human watched around nervously, as if he was unsure of the security of that place, so the hero decided to make the first move.</p><p>"Welcome brave man to the Chamber of Secrets.</p><p>Rest assured that every word spoken here will not reach any external emissary of the Sorcerer King thanks to the power of the Utility Belt!"</p><p>The face of the human contorted as if he was surprised that his internal thoughts have been leaked, however the assuredness of the dialogue being kept between him and the great hero lifted a big weight from his shoulders.</p><p>"Many thanks, Momon-sama.</p><p>I am a farmer named Peasant.</p><p>I have discarded my real name out of shame when I failed to serve our local nobleman an ale worth of the famed quality of my ancestors.</p><p>It is precisely because I already made an unforgivable mistake in the past that I do not want to commit another one!</p><p>I fear that the Sorcerer King has a sinister reason for keeping us alive, like using us as test subjects or sending us to war against our fellow living comrades, so I believe we need to strike him first!</p><p>We have already gathered a group of determined warriors, but we need the help of a great warrior like you in order to succeed.</p><p>Please, help us protect our loved ones…"</p><p>Pandora's Actor crossed his arms to feign pondering on the issue.</p><p>In truth, he had already predicted that dissidents would rise against his master and had long since elaborated ways to deal with them.</p><p>"I see a great force of will in your eyes… And yet that is the reason why I cannot agree with your plan" he began to explain while raising a finger to halt his listener's surprise.</p><p>"I have noticed you during my many travels to this city.</p><p>Your selflessness and kindness towards the people around you could be felt from afar, as only a true hero at heart would do more than his own work for the sake of others!"</p><p>That was obviously a lie, as the doppelganger barely ever got in E-Rantel without teleporting to replace Ainz-sama.</p><p>However feigning respect and flattering the other was the quickest way to manipulate them.</p><p>He had prepared a series of possible dialogues depending on the type of character he would have to convince, so he simply chose the most appropriate one based on how strong and honest the man looked to him.</p><p>Indeed the words had a great impact on the farmer: did someone as mighty as one who could be called the peak of the adamantite adventurers really notice a farmer like him?</p><p>He suddenly understood the meaning of the passing glances the hero gave towards the crops while he was passing through the fields near the city: the great hero must have surely comprehended the effort Peasant and the others underwent to grant the quality of his products!</p><p>His heart was filled with such gratitude he could not speak while 'Momon' continued his explanation.</p><p>"Precisely because your presence is important for your family and friends I must refuse your offer: even if the plan succeeded what would happen to all those who rely on you if you fall in battle?"</p><p>That was right, how could he not think about the safety and well being of his loved ones?</p><p>The farmer felt ashamed that he was about to do something so selfish without considering them, while at the same time his respect for the hero whose strength was matched by his compassion and empathy deepened.</p><p>The doppelganger saw through the helm that his words were convincing the man, so he decided the time was right to make some free marketing of his creator.</p><p>"I have spoken with the Sorcerer King about the worth of this city and his inhabitants and after surveying you for these last days he was very impressed.</p><p>He said that in all his millennia of existence he never saw such fierce will and determination as the one showcased in this city, which was why he wanted to preserve this city and do everything in his power to ensure your well being".</p><p>Could the actions of a farmer like him and his folks achieve such a great impact on an undead with untold ages of experience?</p><p>It all made sense: Peasant could finally give a meaning behind the lack of hostile actions from the Sorcerer King's subordinates towards E-Rantel.</p><p>He regretted doubting the intentions of such a wise and merciful individual.</p><p>He was about to ask forgiveness to the great hero in front of him, but was stopped by a halting gesture of 'Momon'.</p><p>"For the sake of your family and friends, I will dedicate myself to protect this city from all threats.</p><p>In return, I hope you will continue to dedicate your strength to work hard and ensure a future filled with smiles for all the new generations!"</p><p>The farmer deeply bowed to Pandora's Actor.</p><p>"Many thanks for this meeting, Momon-sama! My mind is clear now and I know what my real goals are.</p><p>I pray for a good day to you, mylord!"</p><p>Once the carriage returned to its starting point the farmer excused himself and left, allowing the remaining occupant some time alone to reflect upon the individual he just met.</p><p>Peasant would surely return home and narrate his story to all his co-workers, especially those who were starting to plan a revolt.</p><p>Mindsets are contagious, so by spreading the idea that the Sorcerer King was benevolent towards the city and everything would be fine as long as the denizens kept a positive attitude would defuse turmoils in an easier and cheaper way than using brute force.</p><p>Yet that farmer's fears about Nazarick using them as warriors had left a doubt in the back of Pandora's Actor mind, but could not figure out exactly why.</p><p>He cast aside those thoughts as he allowed the next person to enter the carriage.</p><p>He was a man in his mid 40s, wearing a tasteful dress that reflected his wealth and a pot belly, probably gained from conceding himself many heavy meals.</p><p>His face coincided with a description in a report Pandora's Actor read from Solution, so he was able to instantly recognize him despite never having seen him before while ordering the driver to resume travelling around the city.</p><p>"I am honored to meet you again, Bardo-san.</p><p>This is a safe place to speak thanks to the power of my Utility Belt, so feel free to express what weighing upon your soul!"</p><p>His words managed to relax the tired eyes with heavy dark circles of the man.</p><p>He must have had many sleepless nights recently.</p><p>This conveyed to Pandora's Actor that he was a man who pondered on matters before making a decision, but also that he was looking for assurance to his problems, which were all factors he could exploit during his conversation.</p><p>"Thank you Momon-dono. I am here to hire you for a quest.</p><p>However it isn't something that could be put on the adventurer's guild, which is why I hope you will hear me out".</p><p>With his curiosity piqued the hero motioned for him to continue.</p><p>"Due to the annual war between the Kingdom and the Empire I have bought a large amount of resources to sell to the former and stored them in this city: food, but also spears, armors, supply carriages and so on.</p><p>I wish to hire your services to ensure they can be safely transported outside of E-Rantel"</p><p>Pandora's Actor had a keen grasp of the worries of the man in front of him: a sizable part of his wealth was trapped in a potentially hostile territory, which was why he could not openly put his request where the Sorcerer King's spies could see it.</p><p>An act like that could very well be considered treason towards the new ruler for stealing supplies won via war.</p><p>"I see why you need my help for this matter… Which is why for your own good, I must refuse!"</p><p>Bardo was left flabbergasted by this proclamation, however before he could say anything the doppelganger stopped him in his tracks with a powerful halting motion of the right hand.</p><p>"Indeed, your request is the result of considering fleeing as the only possible solution.</p><p>However, what would happen if that was not necessary?</p><p>A newly created nation is a golden trove of opportunities for a merchant: it needs new trade relations with the neighbouring countries and most of all secure resources for their own subjects" Pandora's Actor could see the glint of interest sparkling in the previously tired eyes of his interlocutor, hinting that his words were striking the right chords in his listener.</p><p>"In fact, the Sorcerer King has mentioned to me that he intends to personally fund his new subordinates' primary needs until the internal economy has stabilized enough for them to do it themselves!"</p><p>Bardo could hardly believe it: an undead who hated all the living keeping the citizen alive was already clashing with his beliefs, but hearing about him wanting to actively help them seemed too far-fetched to be true: could a merciful unliving being really exist?</p><p>The potential benefits of that opportunity were very enticing, however he needed some assurances in case something went awry.</p><p>Pandora's Actor however had already predicted this issue, which was why he raised one of his hands towards the sky, as if he wanted to send the worry far away through the ceiling.</p><p>"This is the reason behind my refusal of your offer, Bardo-san, and why I instead would like to give a counter-proposal myself: let me be the assurance that none of your convoys will get assaulted as long as they're in E-Rantel!"</p><p>The merchant did not expect that outcome.</p><p>"I see, I have heard about the effectiveness of the hero's protection thanks to the Utility Belt… Indeed, as long as you defend this city and prevent its people and resources being used against the living, I can focus on my own work without worries.</p><p>Thanks for taking your time to meet me, Momon-dono. I hope for all the next meetings to be this profitable".</p><p>"Same here, Bardo-san"</p><p>The meeting with the merchant left yet another doubt inside Pandora's Actor, for while he could predict everything the humans could think of, he did not know what were his creator's intentions with this city.</p><p>This was something that needed an answer, so once he got back to the starting point where his teammates Narberal and Hamsuke were keeping the people that wanted to talk with him in a neat, orderly line he excused himself and started walking the streets with no clear direction in mind.</p><p>He was hoping that by activating his circulation through the motion his brain could get enough blood to find the solution to his dilemma, when he found himself in front of the Adventurer's Guild.</p><p>This must have surely been a sign from his God as his creator Ainz entered there too to get answers about this world.</p><p>With renewed hope he put his hands on the building's entry and opened the door to the path of his new destiny.</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>With a triumphant smile Zaz saw the outskirts of Cairne Village's perimeter.</p><p>Surprisingly for him the term "Village" seemed reductive compared to the majesty of what was in front of him: the town was completely surrounded by massive walls of wood and dirt offering a nigh unbreachable protection, while the surrounding fields were all extensively cultivated.</p><p>It could probably rival in dimension the biggest human settlements the hobgoblin had ever seen.</p><p>He ordered most of his subordinates to wait in the confines of the forest, while keeping a unit of 5 ogres to be his personal guard as he approached the settlement.</p><p>As he walked by he saw groups of goblins patrolling proudly above black wolves which greatly pleased the hobgoblin.</p><p>That was exactly how he figured an ideal great goblin nation should look like: orderly, mighty and fearless.</p><p>One of the vanguards approached his group, waving his cap.</p><p>"I am a member of General Enri's Goblin Beast Rider Corps, I welcome you and your fellow travelers to Cairne Village!"</p><p>The warriors were even divided according to their specializations!</p><p>Whoever this 'General Enri' was, they must surely be an exceptional leader, worthy of having their epic tales sung by bards for centuries to come.</p><p>Hardly containing his excitement Zaz demanded to the warrior in front of him to reach the general to make him a proposal.</p><p>Acknowledging the request the goblin led the group through a series of fields where they could see more of their races farming the crops along with a few humans, most likely prisoners, and more traveling back and forth from the Great Forest of Tob, bringing hunted animals and fruits as further nourishment for the huge town.</p><p>So the leader not only had great military insight, but also technical and architectural wisdom to match the bellic warfare.</p><p>Zaz felt like this unfathomable leader was leagues above himself and thought he made the right choice to reach that place.</p><p>When he had heard that a goblin armed force had vanquished the human king's armies he thought that a great leader must have risen to lead his race, so he rallied his subordinates to reach the new lord and join the cause.</p><p>He finally reached the tent where this general resided.</p><p>The goblin beast rider got off his wolf, then motioned for the group to wait while he entered to explain the situation to the General.</p><p>Once he came back with the permission to let the travelers explain themselves Zaz briefly hesitated, then grabbing all his courage he shook the drapes to walk through along with his guards.</p><p>Five goblin were waiting for him inside around a table, probably used as the main workplace: a sturdy looking goblin with a steely armor and a greatsword held behind him with a strange liquid that was flowing back and forth in the groove in the middle of it, apparently ignoring the laws of gravity; 4 goblins near identical with red caps, steel boots and each having a long scythe pending on their shoulders; finally a sophisticated looking goblin with a priceless white robe, long beard and very long and thin moustache.</p><p>Zaz had no doubts as soon as he looked at the latter: even if he was not sitting at the center of the table, his royal and wise looks would mark him unmistakingly as the 'General' in the middle of a crowd of a thousand individuals.</p><p>"I welcome you hobgoblin-dono to Cairne Village.</p><p>I am the Goblin Strategist, the overseer of the Goblin Army and adjutant to General Enri-sama.</p><p>I am sorry for not being able to let you meet the general in person despite your requests but she's currently busy with her husband".</p><p>"What?! The General is a female?"</p><p>Zaz had already heard of female goblin witch doctors who rose to leadership positions thanks to their powers and influence, still it was a rare occurrence.</p><p>What he heard right after that took him completely by surprise, however.</p><p>"Indeed, she's a female and a human.</p><p>She's currently busy overseeing the construction of the new houses for the goblin army along with her husband.</p><p>Unfortunately it will take a while before she can free up some time off her schedule. Do you want me to prenote an appointment to see her?"</p><p>They were being led by a human?</p><p>It was completely different from what Zaz had believed: it was not a great goblin lord who rose against the human oppressor, but rather an intern conflict between humans with the use of goblin slaves!</p><p>"I thought this was the village of proud goblins warriors, not servants!"</p><p>The sturdy goblin next to the Strategist flexed his muscles while roaring.</p><p>"We ARE proud goblin warriors!</p><p>We serve the great General Enri-sama because she is a strong and compassionate leader who understood that the path for the future is through coexistence, not oppression!</p><p>Take a look around and you will see that the goblins, ogres and humans are treated as equals rather than slaves!"</p><p>This however was completely unthinkable for an individual like Zaz, who grew all his life with the notion that between humans and goblins was a 'kill on sight' kind of relationship.</p><p>He wanted to attack the moustached traitor of his race in front of him, however the hobgoblin knew he would have had slim chances of getting past the strong looking guards around him, plus he was currently in the middle of the enemy territory so he could not act recklessly.</p><p>He slowly reached his guards while keeping his eyes fixated on the 6 targets in front of him.</p><p>"I see our views are not compatible, so I will take our leave for now..."</p><p>The group exited the tent, at which point Jugem turned his attention towards the strategist.</p><p>"Are we letting him go?</p><p>That individual seems like a dangerous one, we should have just killed him as soon as we could"</p><p>The Strategist however shook his head.</p><p>"I do not think that killing him would have been so easy: have you seen his movements as soon as he changed his attitude towards us?</p><p>That individual has experience in fighting, especially in ambushes and sneak attacks.</p><p>If he leaves peacefully it would be the best outcome for us.</p><p>However I am worried about his views, who I believe are more dangerous than his actions.</p><p>Hate can only lead to more hate, so I think the best way to deal with him is to have him tailed by a unit of the Assassin Squad.</p><p>If he tries to poison the minds of the other goblins with his words we'll reunite a squad to deal with him, otherwise we'll leave him be.</p><p>Our job is to protect the safety of General Enri and of those she cares about, not on fighting battles that do not concern us..." he concluded while smoothing his moustache.</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>Zaz felt like a huge weight came off his shoulders: as he thought he could not rely on outside help for his dream of liberating his race.</p><p>He had to take the matter on his own hands, and become the leader of the revolution himself.</p><p>He left the fields of the humans and reached his subordinates stationed at the forest.</p><p>He will resume his original plan of steadily increasing his power by killing the humans and taking their gears for himself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Unveiling the face of the enemy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once 'Momon' got inside the Adventurer's Guild he hardly recognized it: most of the adventurers were gone, and even the staff got cut due to the reduced need to care for the influx of people.</p><p>The few adventurers who remained had defeated looks in their faces, as if they were puppets with their strings cut.</p><p>It was beyond sad.</p><p>Pandora's Actor remembered how his creator Ainz-sama greatly benefitted from his experience as a member of that guild and realized he could use them as well: with the adventurers helping to protect the citizens his workload could decrease and he could spare more time to focus on trying to divine a bit of his master's plans with his new subjects.</p><p>However to do that he had to reignite the confidence of these people in front of him.</p><p>His presence was already notorious enough to have gathered the attention of everyone inside the building as soon as he was visible, so Pandora's Actor emphatically looked around as if he was searching for someone, then commented</p><p>"I'm sorry, but I think I must have entered the wrong place: I thought this was the Adventurer's Guild, but all I see is a chicken farm!"</p><p>He made a brief pause to make sure that his words had the intended effect: indeed the eyes obfuscated by depression and alcohol of the people who were once proud of their own strength had rekindled part of their previous spark.</p><p>"Why are you all sitting with a jug of beer held in your hands rather than a weapon?</p><p>I came here to submit a request, however I need real men and women I can rely on.</p><p>Is there someone in here who fits these criteria?!"</p><p>When they heard this, the adventurers sobered up: the great hero hardly made requests, even to deal with the most difficult of tasks.</p><p>If one who could be called the peak of human potential was searching for help one thing was clear: it must have been something so extraordinary that no single being could do it by themselves.</p><p>And yet as Momon was humanity's savior there was only one possible answer to that call for aid.</p><p>The first one to move was a tall, corpulent man with long dark blond hair, narrow eyes and a wide nose who quickly rose from his seat to look at Pandora's Actor with an intense look.</p><p>"If there is something that troubles the great hero then he can count on the mithril ranked Moknach and his team 'Rainbow'!"</p><p>More adventurers followed by agreeing with the first one, until two dozens of people were roaring their support for the man they idolized.</p><p>Pleased by the response of the humans in front of him the doppelganger raised a hand to ask for the clamor to quiet down, then he started explaining.</p><p>"I have been protecting the city for the past days from any possible harm from inside the city, however even I cannot grant the safety outside of the walls.</p><p>Threats like monsters or bandits could attack the fair people of E-Rantel when they leave, for which reason I need the help of brave people who would go out on adventures and secure the surroundings in these times where I'm having difficulty leaving the city.</p><p>I have the utmost confidence in the skills of my fellow adventurers, so I will now deliver the request to the receptionist.</p><p>I pray you will help me ensure the prosperity of our people!"</p><p>He concluded, while walking through a corridor of clapping warriors towards the clerk handling the quests.</p><p>Once he finished compiling the paperwork to activate the quest he exited the building just in time to see a carriage who had just arrived at the front of the Adventurer's Guild.</p><p>It held a series of 6 corpses inside of it.</p><p>Pandora's Actor remembered that the fallen adventurers had the rights to a worthy burial funded by the guild, so he looked for the guildmaster Pluton Ainzack who should have been near there.</p><p>He found him talking to the driver, with his strong looking face contorted by worry.</p><p>Once Ainzack saw the familiar appearance of the great hero he sighed in relief.</p><p>"Thank the gods you're here Momon-kun.</p><p>This is the second adventurer team we found in the neighborhood killed by monsters.</p><p>The recent events have put the guild in dire straits, with many adventurers running away and thus lacking the resources to retaliate deaths such as these.</p><p>As the Guildmaster my heart is bleeding for being unable to help my comrades find peace by killing those wild beasts and avenging them…</p><p>If you can manage to find some time to spare to attend their funerals I'm sure it will be very appreciated both by the living adventurers who idolize you and for the souls of these dead..."</p><p>The doppelganger remembered about Aura's claims that her creator Bukubukuchagama-sama used to perform party buffing actions called "concerts" where she appeared in front of her underlings to raise their morale with her looks and voice.</p><p>As this should have been a similar case he was about to agree with the Guildmaster when he noticed something wrong: as a fetishist of magic items he memorized every equipment in possession of all the adventurers he had met and many of the ones currently worn by the fallen individuals in front of him were very different from what he remembered.</p><p>The items also looked weaker than the ones in their possession, so it was impossible the dead could have replaced them voluntarily.</p><p>If they had been killed by mindless creatures it would make little sense for the latters to have swapped out their victims' gear.</p><p>On the other side bandits would not be able to deal the kind of wounds some of them were sporting, plus they would not bother hiding their actions by leaving behind precious items if their aim was profit.</p><p>This whole situation had little sense.</p><p>Still, one thing was clear to the doppelganger: in that world adventurers were a force to be reckoned with, so having entire teams wiped out like pieces of a complex domino puzzle thrashed by a rampaging hamster was a worrying factor.</p><p>'Perhaps I will need to make some adjustments to my plans' the doppelganger mused while putting his mind into motion.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The final faceoff!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The doppelganger went looking for Narberal, he needed her help if he wanted for his plan to succeed.</p><p>He found her petting the soft fur of Hamsuke's back.</p><p>As soon as she realized 'Momon's' presence she backed off immediately, recomposing her appearance.</p><p>"*Cough*, I was just checking up Hamsuke's skin to verify if there were injuries from his training at Nazarick...</p><p>It is very important to be in top condition at all times, after all...</p><p>So, what happened to those fleas on that carriage?"</p><p>Pandora's Actor had suspicions about Narberal's true reasons for petting the giant hamster, however it was not important to his current goal so he feigned falling for her excuse.</p><p>"Those adventurers have been the tragic protagonists of a story with a bad ending!</p><p>I am unsure of the reasons, but worry not my trusty companion for I already have a strategy to deal with the villains currently hiding in the shadows. However I'm afraid I will need your support, 'partner'!"</p><p>The Treasurer of Nazarick saw that Narberal steeled which he attributed to her being concentrated, followed by a tense "If this is the wish of the 41 Supreme Beings… I guess I have no other choice…"</p><p>"Zwein gut! Now here's what I need you to do…"</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.</p><p>Moknach exited the gate of E-Rantel with his team, determined to prove his worth to the hero he had so much respect for.</p><p>They immediately went in the northern direction, as that was the opposite direction of where the bodies of the other adventurers were found.</p><p>He had a hunch that the culprits were not stalking the same roads over and over so he would have higher chances of finding them if going into a different direction.</p><p>They walked for a handful of hours, then suddenly Moknach felt watched.</p><p>He looked around but only saw a series of trees from the Great Forest on their left… No!</p><p>From behind the trees emerged a dozen of Ogres, tailed by even more goblins.</p><p>A force like that would not worry the adventurer, however the recent deaths made him more cautious.</p><p>He ordered the priest near him to help buffing the team. [Widen Magic: Lesser Strength]! [Widen Magic: Lesser Protection from Arrows]!</p><p>The duo had barely the time to give a couple of party boosts when they were reached by a knife to the abdomen that stopped them abruptly.</p><p>Moknach and the rest of the team were looking at the approaching group, but it seemed like the knives popped out of reality from a spot between the ogres where there should be nothing.</p><p>Soon after a volley of knives erupted once more from a blank space, reaching the rest of the adventurers.</p><p>With his vision starting to get blurry Moknach could only look at the looming figures that were starting to obfuscate his field of view when suddenly something huge dropped seemingly from the sky, creating a crater from the sheer impact in front of the downed adventurers while slicing an ogre with a huge black sword during the fall.</p><p>A red mantle started fluttering out of the dust raised from the impact, while a hero with raven colored armor emerged from the depression of the ground.</p><p>"Worry not fellow adventurers," loudly proclaimed a familiar voice to the ears of the adventurers.</p><p>"Because Justice has arrived!"</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>Pandora's Actor retreated in the cabin he normally used to converse with the troubled citizen, however this time he was alone.</p><p>He signaled to the rider to start moving, then waited a few moments and shed his current disguise, becoming a mold with a vague humanoid form before assuming the form of his master, Ainz Ooal Gown.</p><p>That was because he needed to cast a series of enchantments to track the leaders of the adventurers who were sent out.</p><p>He was sure that whoever was behind the murders would strike again, thus decided to spy on them which was why he needed for Narberal to help cover his absence by showing on the streets in his stead to make it seem like his defense of the city was continuing as usual.</p><p>He could leave the job of finding and punishing the culprits to the assassins in Nazarick, however there were two reasons why he decided to handle this himself: the first was that if the incident was solved by the famous adventurer Momon it would remember the city's population they could rely on the protection of their hero.</p><p>Lately he had not done any missions due to his need to stay in the city, so he was fearing that the people's opinion on the great hero's capabilities had dropped after he pledged allegiance to the Sorcerer King.</p><p>The second reason was because he wanted to get some experience on doing missions by himself.</p><p>He wondered if his wish to explore the world was inherited from his creator: he heard that many of his fellow Guardians' personalities matched the ones of the respective Supreme Beings, so there might be a connection…</p><p>As he was pondering on that he was suddenly notified of a drop in the HP of one of the adventurer's leaders, so he used a divination spell to check what was happening to him.</p><p>He saw Moknach's team facing a group of goblins and ogres and frowned: from his experiences so far the humans in this world were not particularly outstanding, but even them should be able to deal with a bunch of weaklings...</p><p>Still, as losing his baits would be counterproductive to his goals he decided to head towards there.</p><p>He teleported atop of the battlefield, then switched to his 'Momon' disguise while falling down.</p><p>He landed in front of the downed adventurers, while slicing in two one of the ogres.</p><p>After reassuring his coworkers he turned towards the enemies, cleaving another ogre with a slice.</p><p>At that moment a knife reached him, causing a sting of pain.</p><p>That was already absurd for him, but what he later saw was even more unbelievable: the monster he struck down and was falling like a puppet whose strings have been cut…</p><p>Recomposed himself in the blink of an eye.</p><p>As far as he knew, differently from trolls ogres had no innate regeneration, and he did not hear any spell being cast...</p><p>The doppelganger checked his surroundings for some clue to understand what happened, then he saw for a brief moment a hobgoblin standing on the backside of one of the ogres.</p><p>The enemy then slided behind it…</p><p>And vanished.</p><p>The hero could not feel nor see the enemy's presence at all as soon as he went out of sight.</p><p>He thus tried to attack the ogre that was blocking his view by moving with a blitzing speed and pierce it with his sword, however while it was surely a killing hit he felt no resistance beyond the first body.</p><p>He retracted his sword and was reached by another knife on his shoulder and another prickle, followed by the gashing wound of the ogre closing in a matter of seconds.</p><p>Despite operating with a very inefficient build as a lv100 Guardian his resistances should protect him from weaker attacks, thus with his inhuman focus he inspected the hit and determined the effects to be similar to those of a critical hit.</p><p>Usually it was a phenomena that happened when an attack striked a weak spot, thus dealing increased damage that ignored defenses, however his stats should reduce that chance to 0.</p><p>The only reason he could give to that would be a skill that ensures the hit to be a critical, however those are usually dominion of high lv ninjas and assassins.</p><p>For a hobgoblin to be able to have such an effect there had to be some drawbacks, so understanding them would allow Pandora's Actor to resolve this fight in the shortest amount of time.</p><p>The other part he had to uncover was how the ogres kept coming back to life…</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>Zaz knew at a glance that the opponent in front of him was no ordinary warrior, which was even more evident when he survived with hardly a scratch from the attacks that felled so many warriors before him.</p><p>His might was also beyond comprehension, as he chopped his ogres with the same ease that a gardener would pick up flowers with a pruning knife.</p><p>The fact that his fallen comrades got back up surprised him as that never happened before, but after seeing it happen twice he had a hunch of the reasons behind that phenomena.</p><p>In order to test it he activated his skill, [Dance of the Shy Comedian].</p><p>That skill granted him invisibility as long as he activated it while hidden from his target's view as well as a granted critical chance on his first hit.</p><p>By itself this skill was not useful in normal fights where escaping from the target's sights to trigger it would be difficult and avoiding attracting the attention once used once nigh impossible, however by using his ogres as movable obstacles he could slip behind them and trigger his skill, to then deal a sneak attack at a safe distance through his knives.</p><p>This was a tactic that offered no support to his teammates who could be easily hacked down, however made sure that Zaz could win against most targets despite his low stats and unimpressive offenses.</p><p>After all, the heroes he heard in the ballads always won, no matter the cost…</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.</p><p>Pandora's Actor saw the hobgoblin hiding once more.</p><p>If he transformed into one of the Supreme Beings with detection skills he could likely snuff the monster out, however he had to keep his appearance in case one of the dying adventurers could see him…</p><p>Speaking of which, he had to ensure their safety at all costs, after all their survival was the reason he went there to begin with.</p><p>With a breakneck speed he vanished from the site where he pierced the ogre and reappeared near the fallen group.</p><p>With one swing of his sword he violently hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust.</p><p>After a moment one of his swords darted from inside the makeshift smokescreen as if it was a huge arrow and hit the ogre from where the hobgoblin last disappeared, striking it so hard it blew up like a firework.</p><p>Soon after a volley of daggers reached both the point where the blade came from as well as the site where the adventurers were laying, with one hitting the hero but the rest sticking into the ground.</p><p>These exchanges of attacks vanquished the dust, showing the ravenclad hero standing alone in the grass.</p><p>He had used the diversion and the time when he threw the sword to take the adventurers and throw them backward in order to create some distance between them and the fight.</p><p>He then noted that the ogre he blew was quickly recomposing himself like a movie rewinded, however his attention was focused elsewhere.</p><p>As soon as he localized where the daggers came from he immediately cast a [All Appraisal Magic Item] in that direction.</p><p>The time between attacks was short, however the doppelganger already had an idea of what to search for and indeed in the midst of items that gave common boosts like a paird of gauntlets that gave +1 strength, a beret that granted +1 critical damage, found what he was searching for: the [Ring of the Altruistic Commander], an item that granted the allies of the wearer 0.1% total of the damage dealt to the enemy.</p><p>This item would normally not be very dangerous, as the life recover was split among the allies instead of the wearer and would be nigh inconsequential, however two facts were working against Pandora's Actor: the difference between his own life and that of a low level ogre was so great that even a light scratch was equivalent to enough life to restore a mortally wounded enemy back to full life.</p><p>The second thing was that unlike a videogame where an enemy without hp would immediately be declared dead, in the real world the body would still work for a few instants, which was just enough for the item's heal to reach them and bring them back to full strength.</p><p>Considering the enemy's timing with the daggers thrown with his attack to the ogre they must be aware of how their item works, so the issue was how to deal with this situation.</p><p>These attacks could not dent his life, however they were enough to stall him long enough for his coworkers to bleed out, after which reviving them would be a bother hardly worth the resources spent.</p><p>If Pandora's Actor was a skilled warrior like Cocytus or Sebas he could manage to predict the enemy's attacking position and strike them down, or counterattack the moment the daggers are sent, but his real battle experience was too low…</p><p>In that moment the doppelganger had an epiphany: it was fine if he requested help from others.</p><p>So far he tried to work as much as he could by himself to appease his creator, however if he wanted to achieve the best results he had to rely more on teamwork and the support from others.</p><p>This also meant that instead of trying to understand his master's plans for the city of E-Rantel he could simply ask for his guidance!</p><p>Pandora's Actor felt so relieved that he briefly forgot he was fighting, then his mind fully got back to reality.</p><p>From behind the ogres one voice taunted him: "I'm impressed by your resilience, you're the first human that survived so long.</p><p>Still, would it not be better for you to just run and leave behind those dead weights over there?</p><p>You surely took heavy damage until now, so getting back and healing should be your priority now, right?"</p><p>Pandora's Actor knew why the enemy pronounced those words: the monster hoped to have dealt enough injuries that a surprise attack while the hero turned to flee would possibly cripple him enough to then be able to finish the fight.</p><p>Or that even if 'Momon' could leave, the hobgoblin would still be able to kill the adventurers and possibly loot them.</p><p>That line of reasoning angered the doppelganger, as it implied the lives of comrades were worthless.</p><p>Despite not knowing what kind of world his creator wanted, the hero was sure it did not need individuals who used their teammates as fodder so uncaringly, so he had to annihilate them at all costs.</p><p>For that reason he decided to exert himself a bit, as the risks of being spotted by his coworkers was low due to them barely clinging to life.</p><p>"I am sorry to disappoint you, mein freund, however I won't do that and the reason is very simple: 'saving who is in trouble is common sense!'"</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>Moknach had fainted shortly after Momon's arrival when a rumble brought his senses back to life.</p><p>With great effort he opened one of his eyes and saw the great hero becoming blinding white, with a shining halo radiating from all around himself.</p><p>The usually raven black hero now was wearing full platinum armor that made him look like justice incarnate, complete with the letters "Justice has arrived!" that were magically floating behind him, as if the world itself recognized his worth.</p><p>The injured adventurer could only think that he truly was the greatest hero before his mind fading back into oblivion, now sure that everything would be fine as long as the pinnacle of humanity existed.</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>Zaz looked at the enemy in front of him in total disbelief: the enemy that should have been close to death now looked leagues above his previous strength, and in an upgraded costume as well!</p><p>How was that possible, could he really have powered up via sheer friendship?</p><p>The hobgoblin's mind was trying unsuccessfully to give a sense to the informations carried by his optical senses, when the shining white warrior in front of him struck a cool pose with his hands, somehow making a sword and a shield magically pop out for him to wield.</p><p>Zaz heard the platinum hero whisper the words: [Ryusekai Zangeki], followed by a blinding light as a dragon shaped wave was emitted from the blade towards him.</p><p>In that moment he understood that the reason why the goblin heroes sung in the ballads that inspired him were revered because like the human in front of him gave their all to protect their people, not because they always won.</p><p>Compared to them the hobgoblin felt unworthy of being called a leader as he used the comrades who trusted in him as shields to take the hits in his stead.</p><p>He shed a tear while with his last thought he prayed for forgiveness to his subordinates as the light reached him...</p><p>-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-</p><p>The slash was so powerful it not only shredded all the enemies in front of Pandora's Actor, but continued to slash a good portion of the trees at the border of the forest, to then end up above them and slashing one of the mountains at the horizons.</p><p>Once the doppelganger finished his enemies, he returned to his Momon persona to then direct himself towards the adventurers.</p><p>He finally made his mind of asking Ainz what were his wishes for this city and fighting advice to Cocytus.</p><p>Seeing the ring's effects also reignited Pandora's Actor to look at the actually powerful relics of the 41 Supreme Beings, perhaps he could convince his creator to let him back to the Treasury now that the situation at E-Rantel was stabilizing…</p><p>Indeed, the future finally looked clear to him...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi dear reader! I just found out about this site, so I decided to start uploading here my works from fanfiction.net! This note should appear at the end of the work, so it allows me to have a quick chitchat with you: how did you find this work? I usually not like to include many OC in my works set in another person's universe, however it allowed me to give an enemy through which let Pandora's Actor mature a bit, while also delving into some character's traits and parts of the story that I felt paired well with our beloved doppelganger: Moknach's worship for Momon, the goblin's victory over Barbro resonating throughout the hearts of many oppressed demihumans... Unfortunately I already finished my work so I cannot get feedback regarding how each of the chapters feels because I released them in block, however this also allows you to get a more complete reading by finishing it in one go, so if there's anything that feels odd between the chapters or some parts that could be improved feel free to comment in order to let me understand and improve!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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